My Life In Nine Books: Stormbreaker
by Yandere Kirkland chan
Summary: Nine books appear at the Royal and General bank with some weird instructions. An Alex Rider reading fic set before Scorpia Rising. K Unit, Brookland teachers, students, the Pleasures, Tom, Jack and of course ALEX! Rated T cus the original series is.
1. Chapter 1

**MY LIFE IN NINE BOOKS**

 **PART ONE: STORMBREAKER**

CHAPTER 1

 **A/N: Greetings peasants! This is a 'reading the Alex Rider series' fic. I never realised how hard it is to make one of these! I mean when do I set it? Before the books? After the books? Including some time travel? I dunno, I made a decision and I hope I don't regret it. Oh yeah, side note: I might publish a rewrite separately later so watch out for that. Anyways: Enjoy :3…**

 **Summary: Alex Rider series reading. Set before Scorpia Rising but that might change. So yeah… What more is there to be said?**

"Alex, dinner's ready. It's sushi, your favourite! You coming down?" Jack called. Alex wasn't coming down, he never did, and he felt kind of bad about that. It wasn't Jack's fault what had happened to him but he just found it so hard to go back to their normal routine after everything he'd been through. Alex sighed, at least he would never have to work for ANY countries' spy agency or military group ever again, the new Prime Minister made sure of that.

Well that was all good and well but this time Alex had another reason for not going down stairs to have dinner. When Alex had come home that day he had found a pile of letters on the door mat, not in its self unusual. It was the regulars: bills, adverts, 'die druggy' notes from his peers… but what had caught his attention was a letter addressed to him. That was strange. No one ever sent letters to him, the only people who would want to talk to him (Jack, Sab and Tom) could in person or email. But yet the letter definitely read _Alex Rider._ Maybe it was a prank from the kids at school, Alex speculated. He brought the letter upstairs with him regardless.

When he had arrived in his bed room he pondered opening it. If it was a prank who knew what would happen? But Alex was- _used to be_ a spy for a reason, how could he just leave a mystery unsolved? So he opened the letter and read it. And that's where he was when Jack called. This had to be a joke, right? Alex really hoped so. The letter read:

 _ **Alex,**_

 _ **How are you, dear boy? A rather interesting situation has arisen and I think you ought to know. As I was working on some chocolates (the flavour explodes in your mouth)**_ Alex smirked _**when I received a package. It contained nine books but not just any books. Alex, they are the stories of your missions. They came with nothing, no explanation, just the instructions to bring certain people together to read them. I have been asked to tell you and Jack to come to the headquarters of MI6 for further instructions, Mrs Jones reckoned that you would listen if it was me who asked. I am so sorry, having your life exposed won't be easy, I would imagine, but it is better if it's in front of your face rather than behind your back when you would never know who exactly knew. I am sorry, and I know that's not enough, none of this should have happened to you.**_

 _ **Smithers**_

Alex was in shock. He now wished the letter _had_ been a prank. Could this all still be a prank? No, Smithers was one of the few people in the world Alex trusted, he wouldn't do something like this to Alex just for a prank. Alex collapsed, sighing, into his bed. He really hoped it would only be MI6 personal there but he highly doubted it. Why was this happening to him? How was it even possible? And how the hell was he going to tell Jack?

Jack looked up at a noise and was surprised to see Alex coming in, pleasantly surprised though, she hadn't expected him to come down. "Alex, what a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure? You gonna have some fish before it goes funky?" Alex smiled momentarily, what would he do without Jack? He remembered why he had stopped. Jack frowned as she saw Alex's solemn face, she just wished the boy would lighten up once in a while like before all this had happened. "Alex what's up?" She could see him trying to come up with an excuse or softening way to say whatever it was "Cut the crap, Alex, I've literally raised you so I can read your expressions. Just tell it to me straight because I _will_ find out in the end." Alex's expression made Jack smile, he looked like he'd just found out his whole life had been a lie. Yeah that's right, Jack had known when Alex stole her cookie dough. "Well..." Alex started and went on to explain what he had found out. When they left the house Alex remembered something; Alex had been on eight missions in total… and yet Smithers had said _nine books._

(P-A-G-E—B-R-E-A-K—B-L-E-H)

Wolf was pissed. It goes without saying that he wasn't on the best terms with the people who had taken away one of his best friends. But now MI6 had dragged him and his unit, without any explanation, to their headquarters. "What do you think this is all about?" Snake asked warily. His expression became panicked "You don't think Fox has been hurt do you!" Wolf thought for a second before shaking his head "No, they wouldn't have bothered dragging us out here for that, Sarg would have told us then we'd be back to training or missions. MI6 never really gave to many shits about the wellbeing of their agents." K unit, like the others, were permanently stationed at their training camp except for holidays and missions so they would always be in top shape.

"Yeah, Fox is fine. I bet this is about the UFOs and we have been chosen to fight the aliens before they turn the world white!" Wolf and Snake stared incredulously at Eagle who was smiling expectantly at them. Wolf hit him in the head while Snake chided "Eagle stop watching Hetalia. It's not all true you know." Eagle rolled his eyes "No, everyone knows Hetalia includes as many facts as possible, next thing you'll be saying that countries _don't_ have personifications." Snake had given up and was looking to the heavens for strength to continue, Wolf looked about ready to murder Eagle.

"Falling apart without me, I see." The three men looked up in surprise then broke into massive grins. "Fox!" They all exclaimed and catapulted themselves at their friend, heck, _brother_. "What are you doing here?" Wolf asked. Fox, giggling while pushing the others of him, replied "Dunno, probably the same as you. I was in the middle of a mission when I was pulled out and told to return to headquarters immediately. We'll soon find out why, I suppose. So how's life been?" Eagle quickly chipped in "We have been AMAZING without your big ass slowing us down all the time." Fox clutched his heart, feigning hurt. Snake snorted, in reality they had refused to accept any temporary replacements for Fox (who was still technically classed as part of the unit) and were the smallest unit in the SAS, constantly waiting and checking in for news about when their fourth team member would return.

"So shall we?" Fox questioned, gesturing to the door of the Royal and General bank. They all walked in, wondering what all this was about, to Eagle's bad cover of 'the boys are back' and Wolf's constant attempts to shut him up.

(P-A-G-E—B-R-E-A-K—B-L-E-H)

The cold stone building of the Royal and General bank loomed above the pair. Alex was becoming more and more nervous, how else was someone supposed to react knowing that their life story was going to be exposed? They were late (Alex was reminded of the phrase 'late to your own funeral'). Frankly Alex was surprised they had arrived at all, Jack had put up a massive fuss and had continued to do so the whole way there. "Honestly this is violation! Violation of a minor! Harassment! How could they do this? I swear I will expose all this one day and-" Alex silenced her "Jack _please_ ," Alex begged "There's nothing we can do, there never was, and you know that. If this is going to happen I would rather be present. And I don't actually think MI6 are too happy about this, it is basically exposing them, but I have no doubt everyone present will have to sign the official secrecy act. Besides, at least they're not sending me in a mission." Jack stopped complaining but a scowl was very evident on her face.

Since both Jack and Alex were expected, the receptionists didn't bother with the bank act and one, a lady, started directing them to their destination straight away. The pair were lead down a completely different route than Alex was used to, he had only ever gone up the lift and on Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones' offices' floor. They were lead to a door made of an expensive looking wood. Their guide stopped there "This is where I leave you, I don't have the security clearance to be present for… whatever it is. Take a seat and don't make a scene. Everyone else is already here." With that she left. _Everyone else_. That didn't sound good. Alex wanted to take Jack's advice and run out of the building as fast as he could and never return. Despite that instinct he turned the door's handle and entered.

It was as bad as Alex had thought, no, it was way, way worse. _Everyone_ was there! They were sitting around a large wooden table. Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones were present, obviously. K unit was there and from their expressions they hated Alex just as much, maybe even more now they knew it was his fault they were brought there. Fox was there too, half-smiling apologetically at Alex.

But that wasn't all; people from his school were there! Miss Bedfordshire, Mr Donovan and even Mr Bray, the head teacher! Alex froze at the next people he saw: Aiden Silver and Candi Waters. The pair were the worst bullies in Brooklands and had personally made sure Alex's life was a living hell. Candi had been Alex's friend before all this had started, her name is actually Candice but according to Aiden's gang that was a 'nerd name'. While Alex was away on missions Candice had been 'infected' by them and she had become an air-headed clone. It was one thing bringing K unit but a complete other taking Alex's normal life into this. When the teachers recognised Alex they looked shocked then suspicious, undoubtedly wondering what the druggie did to get in trouble with the government. Aiden and Candice just sneered.

On the opposite side of the table sat some people Alex was actually happy to see, Tom and the Pleasures. They also seemed to be the only people actually happy to see Alex too. They looked confused but were waving happily and smiling. Alex was surprised Smithers wasn't there.

Everyone looked like they were about to start shouting questions but Mrs Jones silenced them by raising her hand and stood up. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sure you are all confused and have many questions but I assure you that we know as little as you do. First I will tell you why we are here. A couple of days ago a package appeared here containing some books. They claim to be the life story of one of our best and most unique agents. They came with the instructions that none of the books should be read unless in the presence of all of you here today. For reasons you do not need to know we have decided to go along with the requests given. All else will be explained later by reading the books. However, before we proceed, I need you all to sign the official secrecy act. By doing so you are agreeing to never letting the information you hear ever leave this room, you are not allowed to tell anyone else under any circumstances." Mrs Jones looked around the room, seriously, making eye contact with everyone. Alex now appreciated how good Mrs Jones was at her job. In turn, with varying levels of obedience, everyone signed the papers and waited for what happens next.

A knock on the doors made everyone jump; Mrs Jones went to answer it. That was when Alex realised that Mrs Jones was doing all of the explaining. He looked around and spotted Mr Blunt watching silently from the corner. He seemed intrigued by all this, content to sit and watch from a far. Mrs Jones returned to her seat holding a tape recorder and an odd looking device. "It appears that one of our workers has something to say." She said and pressed play.

 _ **Hello everyone present,**_

 _ **Unlike you I do not have the pleasure of being there to hear the reading but I assure you that you are all very lucky to be hearing this, you will be some of the very few people in the entire world to know this story. I may or may not have read it already. I hope you all learn something from this story and, by the end, understand why you, of all people, have been chosen to hear this. The item I have sent with this recording is a paradox-correcting-device-thingy I have been working on for an occasion such as this. Well, all you need to know about that is: things may be getting a bit weird around there.**_

 _ **Well anyway, enjoy!**_

 _ **~Smithers**_

 _ **PS**_

 _ **Sorry about this next part, force of habit I suppose.**_

The recording ended then and (seconds later) exploded, leaving nothing but ashes behind. Well at least they knew what the last part meant. Wolf broke the silence that followed "What the hell was that? And who's Smithers?" everyone else wanted to know that too. Candi intervened "What eva! He sounds totally dorky," Aiden sniggered "And," She continued "From the oscillation and frequency of his voice I bet he's fat." Alex was impressed, it was always interesting when Candice shone through Candi's foundation plastered mask. From Aiden's scowl he wasn't so impressed. Candi blushed "I mean… Smithers sounds like a fat person's name." she giggled nervously, luckily Aiden was pretty stupid. Everyone else stared incredulously.

"Let's just get on with it, shall we?" Mrs Pleasure said quickly. Everyone agreed. "Any volunteers for reading the first chapter?" Her husband, Mr Pleasure, asked. No one made a single noise or movement. "Okay then, I will read." He said. "Yay dad!" Sabina chipped in. Mr Pleasure cleared his throat "Right, chapter one… **Funeral voices**

 **A/N: Okay! How'd I do? Sorry about any typos I will correct them at some point but right now I'm focussing on actually getting the story down and uploading it. Follows and favourites make me smile :) reviews make me upload another chapter! Hehe I'm so evil. Bysies!**


	2. Chapter 2

**MY LIFE IN NINE BOOKS**

 **PART ONE: STORMBREAKER**

CHAPTER 2

 **A/N: Hello everybody, thank you so much to everyone who has favourited, followed or even just read my fic! It's the holidays right now so I can write a lot however I must warn you that I am a serial procrastinator so I apologise for that now. I just realised when I was uploading the last chapter that things are a bit weird so basically when I say 'chapter 2' I mean of** _ **my**_ **story not what they are reading in the chapter. Just thought I'd clear that up. So yeah: Enjoy :3…**

 **Disclaimer: Yes I the amazing Yandere Kirkland chan own Alex Rider (the person), he is locked in my basement right now. The story though, yeah that's not mine, or the character :(.**

" _Right, chapter one…_ _ **Funeral voices**_

"What's this about, druggie? Gang fight went wrong?" Aiden sneered. However he had an uneasy feeling about this and the dirty look Alex shot him only increased it. The whole room felt the same way yet only few of them knew why. _Of course_ Alex snarled, bitterly in his head _it always starts there_.

Edward Pleasure continued reading

 **When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it's never good news.**

The more experienced people on the room had to agree. If you worked for MI6 or the SAS then your biggest fear was to be woken up in the early hours of the morning, it was never good news. The title was starting to make sense, but who was this book about?

 **Alex Rider was woken by the first chime.**

Well that answered their question. All eyes swung to Alex, who made no acknowledgement that he was being watched, he kept up a cold, indifferent mask, waiting for the reading to continue. Deep down they had all known it was because of the boy they were all there. While some people had already known and the soldiers had caught on, the teachers, students and Mr and Mrs Pleasure hadn't quite figured out what was going on. Wolf looked slightly uncomfortable. Had someone close to Cub really died? Was he not as much of a spoilt brat as Wolf had originally thought?

 **His eyes flickered open but for a moment he stayed completely still in his bed, lying on his back with his head resting on the pillow. He heard a bedroom door open and a creak of wood as somebody went down stairs.**

Jack frowned at him "'Somebody' nice to know how much I mean to you!" Jack stuck her nose in the air and huffed. Alex Looked at her and smiled "Don't worry, Jack, you'll get your introduction soon enough." Jack pulled her best diva face "I'd better, and when I do I expect glitter and roses!" Alex playfully punched her. Jack smiled, it was nice having meaningless banter with Alex, he was always so serious. "You guys are like so stupid." Candi cut them off. If looks could kill Candi's ghost would have ghosts. Jack sneered _how dare that overweight Barbie doll be so disrespectful? Just when Alex had started to smile too._

 **The bell rang a second time and he looked at the alarm clock glowing beside him 3.02 a.m. There was a rattle as someone slid the security chain off the front door.**

"Sneaky little shite, spying on me." Jack smiled, trying to lighten the mood. She could tell Alex was tense. He was a bloody good actor but Jack had raised him. (She was also a super cool death ninja but for some reason people didn't believe that.)

 **He rolled out of bed and walked over to the open window, his bare feet pressing down the carpet pile. The moonlight spilled onto his chest and shoulders.**

Sabina wolf whistled while Tom mimed modelling, flicking his hair in slow motion. "Much fanfiction." Sabina laughed "#Kawaii thou!" Tom joined. Alex's cheeks tinged a slight pink, did this count as sexual harassment? Who could he sue? The expressions of the adults in the room ranged from looking slightly uncomfortable to exploding with laughter (Jack and Eagle).

 **Alex Rider was 14**

"What!" K unit shouted, completely shocked. "Alex how long before your trip to Brecon Beacons was this set?" Fox said suspiciously. Alex looked at them still looking cold but mildly curious. "A week or so. Why? How old did you think I was?" K unit was in shock. They had thought that the boy was 17, 16 at the very least. What the hell was a 14 year old doing at an SAS camp?

"Moving on." Mr Pleasure prodded.

 **Alex was fourteen, already well-built, with the body of an athlete. His hair, cut short apart from two thick strands hanging over his forehead, was fair. His eyes were brown and serious.**

As the description was read, Alex could feel everyone staring at him, taking in the details being described. Hearing about his own life and self from a third person perspective was just plain weird.

 **For a moment he stood silently, half-hidden in the shadow, looking out. There was a police car parked outside.**

"And they're coming to take you away ha ha, ho ho, hoo hoo, he he!" Edward's reading was interrupted by Tom. Everyone stared at him. Where the hell had _that_ come from? Tom smiled back at them happily.

 **From his second-floor window Alex could see the black ID number on the roof and the caps of the two men who were standing in front of the door. The porch light went on and, at the same time, the door opened.**

" **Mrs Rider?"**

Jack gagged "Ew, ew, ew! That man's like twice my age!" half the people in the room had no idea who 'he' was but the others were amused. "Jack he was 34, not exactly a dinosaur." Alex pointed out. "Well he did a good job at acting like one!" Jack huffed.

" **No. I'm the housekeeper. What is it? What's happened?"**

Wolf snorted. A house keeper? What, was his rich mummy and daddy too busy on their private island to take care of their batty son? Wolf's respect for the boy dropped back to its original state. Was the person who died the butler then? Jack stiffened, remembering the panic she had felt on that night. She noticed that Alex had curled into her side, she hugged him close and massaged soothing circles in his back.

" **Is this the home of Mr Ian Rider?"**

" **Yes."**

" **I wonder if we could come in…"**

 **And Alex already knew.**

"Knew what?" Aiden demanded.

 **He knew from the way the police stood there, awkward and unhappy.**

"Pretty observant, Alex." Fox said, impressed. The other soldiers had to agree. "KNEW WHAT YOU FUCKING ASSWIPE!" Aiden shouted at Alex. _Rage issues much_ Alex thought. The adults in the room looked shocked while the children looked fed up and defensive. Alex was used to it and just wondered how this _thing_ was part of the same species as him.

 **But he also knew from the tone of their voices. Funeral voices… that was how he would describe them later. The sort of voices people use when they come to tell you that someone close to you has died.**

There was a silence in the room as it finally clicked in the remaining people's heads. The teachers looked shocked, Mr Pleasure's face perfectly depicted the phrase 'I'm sorry for your loss', Mrs Pleasure let out a surprised sob/gasp "Alex!" she breathed, wanting to run over to the boy and hug him. Those who didn't know Alex very well assumed that it was is dad that had died, it had to be a relative from the words 'Mr Ian Rider'. Everyone looked at the boy to see how he was taking this, expecting watering eyes, but he was just sitting there expressionless and emotionless, waiting for Mr Pleasure to continue; so he did.

 **He went to his door and opened it. He could hear the two policemen talking down in the hall, but only some of the words reached him. "…a car accident…called an ambulance…intensive care…nothing anyone could do…so sorry."**

Jack let out a stifled sob, making everyone jump. Ian may have been a grumpy old man (okay not that old but she liked feeling young) but she was still close to the man, he was family. Tom looked sadly at his best friend who remained stoic. Tom knew that bottling up his emotions was Alex's coping mechanism, a very unhealthy one in Tom's opinion.

 **It was only hours later, sitting in the kitchen, watching as the grey light of morning bled slowly through the west London streets, that Alex could make sense of what had happened.**

Mr Bray smiled, satisfied, at how the writer showed (not told) the reader several things. For example the amount of time that had passed, the time of day and Alex's location. Well maybe he had just been a teacher for too long. It was then that it occurred to him: who the hell _was_ the writer?

 **His uncle-Ian Rider-was dead. Driving home, his car had been hit by a lorry at Old Street round about and he had been killed almost instantly. He hadn't been wearing a seat-belt, the police said. Otherwise, he might have had a chance.**

 _Yeah right,_ Alex thought, _cus a seat belt would have been so helpful._ Jack heard Alex literally hiss from his position in her side. "Alex it's just a book." She soothed. "Which is of my life." Alex retorted. Jack stopped talking and resigned to rubbing the teen's shoulders.

 **Alex thought of the man who had been his only relation for as long as he could remember. He had never known his own parents. They had died in an accident, that one a plane crash, a few weeks after he had been born.**

Everyone stared at the boy again. Was his entire life a series of tragedies? Wolf instantly regretted all the 'rich parents' jabs he'd made. Why hadn't the boy just said something? He still thought the kid was a bratty teen but not a rich bratty teen and maybe (big maybe people) not as pathetic as he had originally thought.

 **He had been brought up by his father's brother (never "uncle"-Ian Rider had hated that word) and had spent most of his fourteen years in the same terraced house in Chelsea, London, between the King's Road and the river.**

"You make that sound so boring, Cubby." Eagle commented. "What's that Ian guy's problem? What's wrong with being an uncle?" Wolf questioned gruffly. Snake elbowed him in the ribs. How could he be so insensitive?

 **But it was only now Alex realized just how little he knew about the man. A banker.**

Alex snorted, drawing weird looks. How ironic, Mr Donovan thought, when they were in a bank right now.

 **People said Alex looked quite like him.**

"A lot more like John, though." Mrs Jones muttered. Alex was surprised, it was rare for her to reveal much about the past without it being related to a mission. And…was that emotion in her voice?

 **Ian Rider was always travelling. A quiet, private man who liked good wine, classical music and books. Who didn't seem to have any girl-friends…in fact he didn't have any friends at all. He had kept himself fit, had never smoked and had dressed expensively. But that wasn't enough. That wasn't a picture of a life. It was only a thumbnail sketch.**

Tom whistled "Some deep-ass shit going down here!"

" **Are you all right, Alex?" A young woman had come into the room.**

"Yes finally!" Jack said. For such a big part of Alex's life he sure did put of her intro.

 **She was in her late twenties, with a sprawl of red hair and a round, boy face.**

"Boy face! Ha! Exc-use me!" Jack said, she wasn't really that offended. As long as Netflix loved her the way she was she was fine with it. Candi snorted a laugh at her. Jack decided that she'd much rather have a boy face (not that she did) than be whatever the hell that girl was.

 **Jack Starbright was American. She had come to London as a student seven years ago, rented a room in the house-in return for light housework and babysitting duties-and had stayed on to become housekeeper and one of Alex's closest friends.**

Jack melted "Awwwwww! You're forgiven for the boy-face jab, you cutie!" she exclaimed pulling Alex into a suffocating hug.

 **Sometimes he wondered what Jack was short for. Jackie? Jacqueline? Neither of them suited her and although he had once asked, she had never said.**

"And never will." Jack stated. Alex pouted "Come on, Jack, it can't be worse than Tulip!" Mrs Jones stiffened and glared at the teen, who smiled innocently. Eagle snorted "What type of evil parents would name their child Tulip?" Fox, one of the few in the room who knew Mrs Jones' name, quickly intervened "Hey I think we should read some more!"

 **Alex nodded. "What do you think will happen?" he asked.**

" **What do you mean?"**

" **To the house. To me. To you."**

" **I don't know." She shrugged. "I guess Ian will have made a will. He'll have left instructions."**

" **Maybe we should look in his office."**

Mr Blunt's blank expression faltered for a second, reminding Alex that the man was present.

" **Yes. But not today, Alex. Let's take it one step at a time."**

"Wise choice." Alex seemed to be the only one, other than Mrs Jones, to have heard Mr Blunt. His brows furrowed in frustration but other than that Alex remained calm

 **Ian's office was a room running the full length of the house, high up at the top. It was the only room that was always locked-Alex had only been in there three or four times, never on his own. When he was younger, he had fantasized that there might be something strange up there; a time machine or UFO.**

Everyone burst into laughter. Alex turned a furious red "Hey I was a kid!" he defended. Eagle smiled "See I told you on the way in here that the aliens were coming!" Wolf face palmed. "There was no UFO, Eagle." Alex snapped, impatiently.

 **But it was only an office with a desk, a couple pf filing cabinets, shelves full of papers and books. Bank stuff-that's what Ian said. Even so, Alex wanted to go up there now. Because it had never been allowed.**

"Oooooh REBAL!" Sabina sang.

" **The police said he wasn't wearing his seat-belt." Alex turned to look at Jack.**

"Stating the obvious like the idiot you are, eh druggie?" Alex didn't have to look up to know who had said that.

 **She nodded. "Yes. That's what they said."**

" **Doesn't that seem strange to you? You know how careful he was. He always wore his seat-belt. He wouldn't even drive me around the corner without making me put mine on."**

"Not the weirdest fetish I've heard of." Sabina commented.

 **Jack thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, it's strange," she said. "But that must have been the way it was. Why would the police have lied?"**

"Yeah, why would the police lie?" Alex said disdainfully. Miss Bedfordshire was a little alarmed by how hostile Alex looked at that moment. But then she remembered how much time Alex had of school at the shrink and let the subject drop.

 **The day dragged on. Alex hadn't gone to school even though, secretly, he had wanted to.**

Aiden and Candi stared at Alex like he had sprouted a second head. Once upon a time Tom would have too but after getting a glimpse of Alex's world he didn't blame the kid for being crazy in that area.

 **He would have preferred to escape back into normal life-the clang of the bell, the crowds of familiar faces-instead of sitting there, trapped inside the house.**

Elizabeth Pleasure and Miss Bedfordshire looked like they were going to cry

 **But he had to be there for the visitors who came throughout the morning and the rest of the afternoon.**

 **There were five of them. A solicitor who knew nothing about a will, but seemed to have been charged with organizing the funeral. A funeral director who had been recommended by the solicitor. A vicar-tall, elderly-who seemed disappointed that Alex refused to cry.**

Snake shook his head; honestly, some people had no shame.

 **A neighbour from across the road-how did she even know that anyone had died?**

"Damn that Mrs Braydon, always sticking her nose into other people's business. People go out of their way to look the hero when they don't give a rat's ass really."

 **And finally a man from the bank.**

The few in the room who knew what that meant inhaled sharply.

" **All of us at the Royal and General are deeply shocked," he said. He was in his thirties, wearing a polyester suit and a Marks & Spencer tie. He had the sort of face you forgot while you were looking at it,**

"Alex!" Mrs Jones chided, though she couldn't hide her smirk.

 **and had introduced himself as Crawley, from Personnel. "But if there's anything we can do…"**

" **What will happen?" Alex asked for the second time that day.**

" **You don't have to worry," Crawley said. "The bank will take care of everything. That's my job. You leave everything to me."**

"The bank took care of everything alright!" Jack commented scornfully. The teachers and K unit looked at her slightly confused

 **The day passed. Alex killed a couple of hours in the evening playing his Nintendo 64-and then felt vaguely guilty when Jack caught him at it.**

"I understood, sweetie, frankly I was glad you weren't sitting around staring at thin air like you had been the rest of the day.

 **But what else was he to do? Later on she took him to Burger King. He was glad to get out of the house, but the two of them barely spoke. Alex assumed Jack would have to go back to America. She certainly couldn't stay in London for ever. So who would look after him? By law, he was still too young to look after himself. His whole future looked so uncertain that he preferred not to talk about it. He preferred not to talk at all.**

The last part brought tears to everyone's eyes (except Alex's and Blunt's; but this was the only time they would be in the same category) and that meant it was pretty deep because everyone included an entire SAS unit, school teachers, bullies and an MI6 deputy.

 **And then the day of the funeral arrived and Alex found himself dressed in a dark jacket, preparing to leave in a black car that had come from nowhere, surrounded by people he had never met. Ian Rider was buried in the Brompton Cemetery on the Fulham Road, just in the shadow of Chelsea football ground; Alex knew where he would have preferred to be on that Wednesday afternoon.**

Jack lightly hit the boy in question on the arm "Alex, have some respect!" Alex scoffed "Like you weren't thinking the same thing!" Jack couldn't argue with that.

 **About thirty people had turned up but he hardly recognised any of them. A grave had been dug close to the lane that ran the length of the cemetery and as the service began, a black Rolls-Royce drew up, the back door opened and a man got out. Alex watched him as he walked forward and stopped. Overhead, a plane coming in to land momentarily blotted out the sun.**

"Oooooh dramatic!" Eagle chipped in.

 **Alex shivered. There was something about the new arrival that made his skin crawl.**

 **And yet the man was ordinary to look at. Grey suit, grey hair, grey lips and grey eyes.**

As the description continued all eyes turned to Mr Blunt, even to those who had never seen the man before that day, it was obvious who the book was referring to.

 **His face was expressionless, the eyes behind the square, gunmetal spectacles completely empty. Perhaps that was what disturbed Alex. Whoever this man was, he seemed to have less life than anyone in the cemetery. Above or below ground.**

"Burn!" Eagle laughed and this time the rest of K unit joined in along with most of the room. Alex looked at Blunt himself and couldn't for the life of him tell what the man was thinking. Maybe he was slightly affronted at the observation, maybe he was proud of having achieved the perfect image for someone of his occupation. Actually from the slight twinkle in his eyes it was probably the latter but maybe Alex was imagining it.

 **Someone tapped Alex on the shoulder and he turned round to see Mr Crawley leaning over him. "That's Mr Blunt," the personal manager whispered. "He's the chairman of the bank."**

"That guy creeps me out. I swear he is everywhere all the time." Fox said with a shiver. Mrs Jones had to agree, though he wouldn't ever admit that. Anyway, it's what made him good at the job.

 **Alex's eyes travelled past Blunt and over to the Rolls-Royce. Two more men had come with him, one of them the driver. They were wearing identical suits and, although it wasn't a particularly bright day, sunglasses.**

"Please, how cliché can you get?" Fox snorted. "Yeah," Alex sneered "It's as if someone wanted them to be figured out." Blunt looked at the boy in surprise. He actually thought that MI6 had been pulling strings from that far back. It had all just been Ian Rider and Alex's personal decisions until the moment Alex had stepped through the Royal & General doors. He had been forced to let some less trained agents deal with the funeral and clear up as there had been a more major mission that required the maximum help. There had been a lot of obvious mistakes that the rookies had made but luckily they worked to Blunt's advantage.

 **Both of them were watching the funeral with the same grim faces. Alex looked from them to Blunt and then to the other people who had come to the cemetery. Had they really known Ian Rider? Why had he never met any of them before? And why did he find it so difficult to believe that any of them really worked for a bank?**

"Alex, sweetie, some questions are better left unanswered." Jack advised, softly.

"… **a good man, a patriotic man. He will be missed."**

 **The vicar had finished his grave-side address. His choice of words struck Alex as odd. Patriotic? That meant he loved his country. But as far as Alex knew, Ian Rider had barely spent any time in it. Certainly he had never been one for waving the Union Jack.**

"Alex, I have a feeling you should just let it go." Fox said warily.

 **He looked round, hoping to find Jack, but saw instead that Blunt was making his way towards him, stepping carefully round the grave.**

" **You must be Alex." The chairman was only a little taller than him. Close up, his skin was strangely unreal. It could have been made of plastic. "My name is Alan Blunt," he said. "Your uncle often spoke about you."**

" **That's funny," Alex said. "He never mentioned you."**

"Burn number 2!" Eagle exclaimed in glee.

 **The grey lips twitched briefly. "We'll miss him. He was a good man."**

" **What was he good at?" Alex asked. "He never talked about his work."**

"Alex…" Edward Pleasure warned.

 **Suddenly Crawley was there. "Your uncle was Overseas Finance Manager, Alex," he said. "He was responsible for our foreign branches. You must have known that."**

" **I know he travelled a lot," Alex said. "And I know he was very careful. About things like seat-belts."**

"Cub… Alex, I have to agree you should keep your nose out of this." Wolf agreed. Alex slammed the table "Will you all SHUT UP! THIS IS A BOOK! THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED! YES I KNOW I WAS STUPID BUT I'VE MORE THAN PAYED FOR THAT. So can we please just read?" Everyone shut up, more than a little disturbed by Alex's outburst.

" **Well, sadly he wasn't careful enough." Blunt's eyes, magnified by the thick lenses of his spectacles, lasered into his own and for a moment Alex felt himself pinned down, like an insect under a microscope.**

 _A feeling I have come to get used to,_ Alex thought darkly.

" **I hope we will meet again," Blunt went on. He tapped the side of his face with a single grey finger. "Yes…" Then he turned and went back to his car.**

"Ca-ree-pay!" Sabina trilled.

 **It was as he was getting into the Rolls-Royce that it happened. The driver leaned across to open the back door and his jacket fell open, revealing the shirt underneath. And not just the shirt. The man was wearing a leather holster with an automatic pistol strapped inside.**

There was a collective gasp in the room. Why the hell had someone brought a gun to the funeral? The first mistake (other than the glasses) that the new recruits had made, Blunt thought, it was very lucky that everything had gone well with Alex seeing the gun or things may not have gone well for them.

 **Alex saw it even as the man, realizing what had happened, quickly straightened up and pulled the jacket across his chest. Blunt had seen it too. He turned back and looked again at Alex. Something very close to emotion slithered over his face. Then he got into the car, the door closed and he was gone.**

 **A gun at a funeral. Why? Why would bank managers carry a gun?**

" **Let's get out of here." Suddenly Jack was at his side. "Cemeteries give me the creeps."**

" **Yes. And quite a few creeps have turned up," Alex muttered.**

Laughter rang throughout the room "I think we might need a 'burn' counter at this rate." Fox sniggered.

 **They slipped away quietly and went home. The car that had taken them to the funeral was still waiting, but they preferred the open air. The walk took them fifteen minutes. As they turned the corner into the street, Alex noticed a removals van parked in front of the house, the words STRYKER & SON painted on its side.**

" **What's that doing…?" he began.**

 **At the same moment, the van shot off, its wheels skidding over the surface of the road.**

 _A moment too late,_ Blunt thought, _in normal circumstances that mistake could have cost people their lives. But then again, when wasn't Alex the exception to things?_

 **Alex said nothing as Jack unlocked the door and let them in, but while she went into the kitchen to make some tea, he looked quickly round the house. A letter that had been on the hall table now lay on the carpet. A door that had been half-open was now closed. Tiny details, but Alex's eyes missed nothing. Somebody had been in the house. He was almost sure of it.**

Fox whistled, impressed, everyone else felt the same way. Highly trained professionals often missed details like that and yet this normal teenager didn't miss a thing.

 **But he wasn't certain until he got to the top floor. The door to the office which had always, always been locked, was unlocked now. Alex opened it and went in. The room was empty. Ian Rider had gone and so had everything else. The desk drawers, the cupboards, the shelves…anything that might have told him about the dead man's work had been taken.**

" **Alex…!" Jack was calling to him from downstairs.**

 **Alex took one last look around the forbidden room, wondering again about the man who had once worked there. Then he closed the door and went back down.**

"And that's it for the first chapter." Edward said snapping the book shut. Aiden huffed "Whatever, that was boring. Why would I want to hear druggie's boring, less than average life story?" Candi agreed. Everyone else rolled their eyes, that chapter had certainly been… enlightening. "We will read another chapter before leaving for the day. Who would like to read next?" Once again no one moved. Mr Bray, finding new courage, volunteered. "Chapter 2," he read **Heaven For Cars…**

 **A/N: Good? Bad? Too long? Too much rambling? Please let me know what you think by reviewing! Thank you to all of you, I hope you liked the chapter! Byesies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**MY LIFE IN NINE BOOKS**

 **PART ONE: STORMBREAKER**

CHAPTER 3

 **A/N: I can't thank you all enough! It took me all day yesterday to write that last chapter but it was completely worth it for all of your reviews! I am writing this because no matter how hard I look I cannot find a completed Alex Rider reading fic so I thought I would change that :) If any of you start writing one please tell me as I would love to read it! It's okay to read your own fic but a lot more fun to read someone else's! So, another chapter awaits…!**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Yandere Kirkland chan: Do I own you, Alex?**

 **Julius: I'M JULIUS YOU USELESS EXCUSE FOR A WRITER!**

 **Yandere Kirkland chan: Pft I knew that! Wanna go kidnap Alex and bring him to our ;) torture chamber?**

 **Julius: Sounds like fun! But aren't you forgetting something?**

 **Yandere Kirkland chan: Whaaaa? Nooooo!**

 **Julius: (brings out torture weapons)**

 **Yandere Kirkland chan: ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! IdontownAlexRiderorthestoryoranycharactersjustthisideawichhasbeendoneloadsoftimesbefore! Happy now?**

 **Julius: Yeah, so let's go kidnap Alex now?**

 **Yandere Kirkland chan: I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER ASK!**

 **(They skip off into the distance hand in hand)**

 _Mr Bray, finding new courage, volunteered. "Chapter 2," he read_ _ **Heaven For Cars…**_

Aiden snorted a laugh "Who named these chapters?" Eagle looked wistful "Cars go to heaven? Oh, that means I'll get to see that awesome black one Wolf crashed when we were 18!" Wolf looked like he was about to kill Eagle. "I highly doubt cars go to heaven, Eagle, but the title will make sense soon enough." Alex intervened, probably saving Eagle's life. _Heaven for cars…_ for some reason that rang a bell for Miss Bedfordshire. "Well there's no point in guessing when we could just read the chapter and find out what it's about!"

 **With Hammersmith Bridge just ahead of him, Alex left the river and swung his bike through the lights and down the hill towards Brookland School.**

The teachers perked up, finally being familiar with something.

 **The bike was a Condor Junior Roadracer, custom-built for him on his twelfth birthday. It was a teenager's bike with a cut-down Reynolds 531 frame, but the wheels were full-sized so he could ride at speed with hardly any rolling resistance.**

The SAS soldiers listened intently, looking in awe. It sounded like an amazing bike. Jack rolled her eyes at them, smiling. _I guess SAS men are pretty much the same as normal ones,_ she thought.

 **He spun past a Mini and cut through the school gates. He would be sorry when he grew out of the bike. For two years now it had almost been part of him.**

Candi smiled nicely "I remember your bike, Alex, you drove it everywhere." Alex looked at her in surprise. Was she being…nice? Her eyes widened and she backtracked, correcting herself "Haha, you weirdo, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to have sex with a bike." Aiden chipped in "Yeah, you could at least crush on cars like us REAL men."

 **He double-locked it in the shed and went into, the yard.**

"Alex! So young and already turning to the dark world of S & M!" Tom said, faking shock, attempting to put a lighter spin on Candi and Aiden's earlier remarks. The two in question stared blankly at him, trying to understand what the hell he had just said.

 **Brookland was a new comprehensive, red brick and glass, modern and ugly.**

Alex slipped lower in his chair, hiding. "Did I say ugly? I meant uniform! Pft easy typo to make, they both start with 'U' both describing words. Maybe it was a translation error or something!" The teachers stared at him unimpressed. "Alex it's okay. I didn't make the school, even if I do look old." Mr Bray said, smiling slightly at the uncomfortable looking boy.

 **Alex could have gone to any of the smart private schools around Chelsea, but Ian Rider had decided to send him here. He had said it would be more of a challenge.**

"Aw, poor baby Alex. Did big bad uncle force you to go to peasant school? Don't worry in university I'm sure you'll have maids to carry your books!" Aiden said in a fake comforting voice. Alex snarled audibly. Having been mainly fending for himself until Jack had come, he had done more work in his fourteen years than Aiden would ever do in his life.

 **The first lesson of the day was maths. When Alex came into the classroom, the teacher, Mr Donovan, was already chalking up a complicated equation on the board.**

Said man blushed at being mentioned.

 **It was hot in the room, the sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows put in by the architects who should have known better.**

"Because ickle Cub knows better than trained professionals." Wolf muttered. Alex glared at the man. No matter how old you were or where you go there would always be bullies. The teachers, oblivious to the soldier and spy, were silently agreeing with the book's description, the room really was way too hot.

 **As Alex took his place near the back, he wondered how he was going to get through the lesson. How could he possibly think about algebra when he had so many other questions churning through his mind?**

The teachers looked at the boy pityingly. If he hadn't felt up to the lessons he could have just said so. Maybe if the boy had taken a longer time to recover after losing his uncle he wouldn't have had to spend so much time with a therapist or resorted to drugs and violence.

 **The gun at the funeral. The way Mr Blunt had looked at him. The van with STRYKER & SON written on the side. The empty office. And the biggest question of all, the one detail that had refused to go away. The seat belt. Ian Rider hadn't been wearing a seat-belt.**

Aiden sighed dramatically "Again with the seat-belt! Just go marry it for fucks sake! As long as you shut up!" though they disapproved of the boy's choice of words, the others in the room had to agree with the general message.

 **But of course he had.**

"What?" the majority of the room exclaimed, having been taken off guard. "Alex, honey, the first step to recovery is acceptance. It's not healthy to cling to elusions." Miss Bedfordshire said slowly to Alex, in that voice people use to talk to children or sick people. Alex frowned to himself, they'll see soon enough. He caught himself, did he just say he actually _wanted_ them to hear his life story?

 **Ian Rider had never been one to give lectures. He had always said that Alex should make up his own mind about things. But he'd had this thing about seat-belts. The more Alex thought about it, the less he believed it. A collision at a roundabout. Suddenly he wished he could see the car. At least the wreck would tell him that the accident had really happened, that Ian Rider really had died that way.**

"Whatever gives you closure." Miss Bedfordshire insisted. She had always liked the boy and was concerned at the dark path he had been on for the past year.

" **Alex?"**

 **Alex looked up and realised that everyone was staring at him. Mr Donovan had just asked him something.**

"Oh I HATE it when that happens!" Eagle exclaimed. "Dang that happened like every day when I was at school." Wolf glared at him "It wouldn't happen if you payed attention!" he snapped.

 **He quickly scanned the blackboard, taking in the figures. "Yes, sir," he said "x equals seven and y is fifteen."**

 **The maths teacher sighed. "Yes, Alex. You're absolutely right. But actually I was just asking you to open the window."**

Everyone in the room (well not Blunt or Alex, once again) burst into laughter. "Oh snap!" Sabina exclaimed, choking with laughter.

 **Somehow he managed to get through the rest of the day, but by the time the final bell rang, his mind was made up. While everyone else streamed out, he made his way to the secretary's office and borrowed a copy of the Yellow Pages.**

" **What are you looking for?" the secretary asked. Jane Bedfordshire was a young woman in her twenties, and she'd always had a soft spot for Alex.**

"What that's preposterous! Teachers don't have soft spots! And even if I _did_ I'm a secretary so it doesn't count!" Miss Bedfordshire defended. For a second Alex saw her as a person not a staff at his school, it was horrible and disturbing and just _wrong_ like with any teacher.

" **Breakers' yards…"Alex flicked through the pages. "If a car got smashed up near Old Street they'd take it somewhere nearby. Wouldn't they?**

" **I suppose so."**

" **Here…" Alex had found the yards listed under "Car Dismantlers". But there were dozens of them fighting for attention over four pages.**

" **Is this for a school project?" the secretary asked. She knew Alex had lost a relative, but not how.**

But now she did she was glad to have been a help to giving Alex some closure.

" **Sort of…" Alex was reading the addresses but they told him nothing.**

" **This one's quite near Old Street." Miss Bedfordshire pointed at the corner of the page.**

" **Wait!" Alex tugged the book towards him and looked at the entry underneath the one the secretary had chosen:**

 **JB STRYKER**

 _ **Heaven for cars…**_

 **JB Stryker, Auto Breakers**

 **Lambeth Walk, LONDON**

 **Tel: 020 7123 5392**

… _ **call us today!**_

A chorus of "Oh" sounded throughout the room. "Hehe that moment when the title suddenly makes sense." Tom added. At least now Jane knew where she had heard 'Heaven for cars' before, it had been nagging at the back of her head.

" **That's in Vauxhall," Miss Bedfordshire said. "Not too far from here."**

" **I know." But Alex had recognized the name. JB Stryker. He thought back to the van he had seen outside the house on the day of the funeral. STRYKER & SON. Of course it might just be a coincidence, but it was still somewhere to start.**

"There's no such thing as coincidences." Fox, Alex, Mrs Jones and Mr Blunt recited. Everyone stared at them, more than slightly creeped out.

 **He closed the book. "I'll see you Miss Bedfordshire."**

" **Be careful how you go." The secretary watched Alex leave, wondering why she had said that. Maybe it was his eyes. Dark and serious, there was something dangerous there.**

They all had to agree and it had gotten a lot worse in the last year.

 **Then the telephone rang and she forgot about him as she went back to work.**

Miss Bedfordshire blushed, she felt as if she was being accused of something. But why? Helping Alex find his uncle's car wasn't a crime. So why did she feel like she had done something awful?

 **JB Stryker's was a square of wasteland behind the railway tracks running out of Waterloo Station. The area was enclosed by a high brick wall topped with broken glass and razor wire. Two wooden gates hung open, and from the other side of the road Alex could see a shed with a security window and beyond it the tottering piles of dead and broken cars. Everything of any value had been stripped away and only the rusting carcasses remained, heaped one on top of the other, waiting to be fed into the crusher.**

"Those places have always given me the creeps." Tom shivered "They are like grave yards except the cars get executed there too."

 **There was a guard sitting in the shed, reading the** _ **Sun.**_ **In the distance, a crane coughed into life, then roared down on a battered Ford Mondeo, its metal claw smashing through the window to scoop up the vehicle and carry it away. A telephone rang somewhere in the shed and the guard turned to answer it. That was enough for Alex. Holding his bike and wheeling it along besides him, he sprinted through the gates.**

Mr Bray frowned "Alex I don't think you are allowed to go in there." Alex didn't respond. _No shit Sherlock,_ he thought. Jack smiled sugar-sweetly at Alex, gritting her teeth "Alex," She laughed "You never told me about this." Alex laughed nervously under her death-glare, edging away from her.

 **He found himself surrounded by dirt and debris. The smell of diesel was thick in the air and the roar of the engines was deafening. Alex watched as the crane swooped down on another of the cars, seized it in a metallic grip and dropped it into the crusher. For a moment the car rested on a pair of shelves. Then the shelves lifted up, toppling the car over and down into the trough. The operator-sitting in a glass cabin at one end of the crusher-pressed a button and there was a great belch of black smoke. The shelves closed in on the car like a monster insect folding in its wings. There was a grinding sound as the car was crushed until it was no bigger than a rolled up carpet. Then the operator threw a gear and the car was squeezed out, metallic toothpaste being chopped up by a hidden blade. The slices tumbled onto the ground.**

Snake winced "Those things are deadly. Damn these places should have better security. Imagine if a toddler wondered in there by accident and fell asleep in a car, or a family pet." Wolf looked at him "Well they probably assume that no one is stupid enough to sit inside the death trap. Alex blushed.

 **Leaving his bike propped against the wall, Alex ran further into the yard, crouching down behind the wrecks. With the din from the machines, there was no chance that anyone would hear him, but he was still afraid of being seen.**

Mr Bray frowned, if Alex had to hide then he probably shouldn't be where he is. Were they reading about how Alex had gotten involved in a gang?

 **He stopped to catch his breath, drawing a grimy hand across his face. His eyes were watering from the diesel fumes. The air was as filthy as the ground beneath him.**

 **He was beginning to regret coming-but then he saw it. His uncles BMW was parked a few metres away, separated from the other cars. At first glance it looked absolutely fine, the metallic silver bodywork not even scratched. Certainly there was no way this car could have been involved in a fatal collision with a lorry or anything else. But it was his uncle's car. Alex recognized the number plate. He hurried closer, and it was then he saw that the car was damaged after all. The windscreen had been smashed, along with all the windows on one side.**

"Great, Alex, you've seen the accident really happened now GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!" Jack shouted, panicked. Alex put an arm around her and reminded her that it was a book and this had already happened.

 **Alex made his way round the bonnet. He reached the other side and froze.**

Everyone leaned forward, listening, puzzled.

 **Ian Rider hadn't died in any accident. What had killed him was plain to see-even to someone who had never seen such a thing before. A spray of bullets had caught the car full on the driver's side, shattering the front tyre, then smashing the windscreen and side panels.**

There was a collective gasp in the room (apart from Alex, Mrs Jones and Mr Blunt). Mrs Pleasure looked like she was going to faint. Most of the people in the room looked confused, as well as disturbed. "So that's where you got it from, eh druggie? Your uncle was in a gang and when it killed him, you were left to take on the family business?" although he said it as an insult, Aiden was now genuinely curious. The teachers and Candi were thinking the same thing. K unit looked at them blankly. Was Cub in some trouble with a gang? Is that why he had come to Brecon Beacons?

 **Alex ran his fingers over the holes. The metal felt cold against his flesh. He opened the door and looked inside. The front seats, pale grey leather, were strewn with fragments of broken glass and stained with patches of dark brown. He didn't need to ask what the stains were. He could see everything. The flash of the machine-gun ripping into the car, Ian Rider jerking in the driver's seat…**

"Alex you're such a morbid child!" Fox cringed. They were all pretty disturbed by the detail Alex had gone into. "Well you would have a good carrier as a detective!" Mr Bray tried to put a lighter spin on it.

 **But why? Why kill a bank manager? And why had the murder been covered up? It was the police who had brought the news, so they must be part of it. Had they deliberately lied? None of it made sense.**

 _Because your uncle's in a gang, you idiot,_ Aiden thought. The questions Alex had thought were what most of those in the room were thinking too.

" **You should have got rid of it two days ago. Do it now."**

 **The machines must have stopped for a moment. If there hadn't been a sudden lull, Alex would never had heard the men coming. Quickly he looked across the steering wheel and out the other side. There were two of them, both dressed in loose fitting overalls. Alex had a feeling he'd seen them before. At the funeral. One of them was the driver, the man he had seen with the gun. He was sure of it.**

There was a tension building up in the room as everyone started getting into the story, waiting for what was going to happen.

 **Whoever they were, they were only a few paces away from the car, talking in low voices. Another few steps and they would be there. Without thinking, Alex threw himself into the only hiding place available, inside the car itself.**

 _Good thinking_ , was the general thought in the room as they heard about Alex's quick thinking hiding. It was natural to agree with a character when you are hearing things from their perspective, however those who were trained against such things (the MI6 workers) took a sharp intake of breath as Alex sealed his doom.

 **Using his foot, he hooked the door and closed it. At the same time, he became aware that the machines had started again and he could no longer hear the men. He didn't dare look up. A shadow fell across the window as the two men passed. But then they were gone. He was safe.**

A relieved sigh sounded.

 **And then something hit the BMW with such force that Alex cried out, his whole body caught a massive shock wave that tore him away from the steering wheel and threw him helplessly into the back.**

Jack yelped and others looked just as startled.

 **At the same time, the roof buckled and three huge metal fingers tore through the skin of the car live a fork through an eggshell, trailing dust and sunlight. One of the fingers grazed the side of his head-any closer and it would have cracked his skull.**

Jack whimpered, she couldn't stand hearing about Alex getting hurt or in danger. Alex grimaced at how she would react to the rest of it.

 **Alex yelled as blood trickled over his eye.**

People gagged. Why did Alex have to be so descriptive?

 **He tried to move, then was jerked back a second time as the car was yanked off the ground and titled high up in the air.**

 **He couldn't see. He couldn't move. But his stomach lurched as the car was swung in an arc, the metal grinding and the light spinning. It had been picked up by the crane. It was going to be put inside the crusher. With him inside.**

By that point everyone was clinging to their chairs or the person next to them, waiting to see the outcome. For once the room was silent and no one dared speak.

 **He tried to raise himself up, to punch through the windows. But the claw of the crane had already flattened the roof, pinning his left leg, perhaps even breaking it. He could feel nothing. He lifted a hand and managed to pound on the back window, but he couldn't break the glass, and even if the works men were staring at the BMW, they would never see anything moving inside.**

"Did you die?!" Eagle gasped, looking at Alex. The boy looked at the supposedly full grown man incredulously. This man was responsible for the protection of the country? Wolf elbowed Eagle and they went back to silence.

 **His short flight across the breaker's yard ended with a bone-shattering crash as the crane deposited the car on the iron shelves of the crusher. Alex tried to fight back his sickness and despair and think of what to do.**

Jack let out a stifled sob, clinging to Alex in horror. Alex couldn't breathe but decided that it probably wasn't the best time to bring that up.

 **He had seen a car being processed only a few minutes before. Any minute know, the operator would send the car tipping into the coffin shaped through.**

 _Good use of English_ , Mr Bray thought faintly.

 **The machine was a Lefort Shear, a slow-motion guillotine. At the press of a button, the two wings would close on the car with a joint pressure of five hundred tonnes. The car, with Alex inside it, would be crushed beyond recognition. And the broken metal-and flesh**

Jack was practically sobbing hysterically and the others in the room had ranging reactions but they were all green.

 **-would then be chopped into sections. Nobody would ever know what had happened.**

The SAS men looked disturbed. It was because of children like Alex that they fought for the country and the thought of something so horrific happening without it ever being noticed disturbed them. He would have just become another one of the lost children of the world, supposedly a run away. "Well I hope you leave a fossil, mate." Tom said.

 **He tried with all his strength to free himself. But the roof was too low. His leg and part of his back was trapped.**

Aside from the horror of what was happening, everyone was thinking one thing: How the hell had Alex escaped?

 **Then his whole world tilted and he felt himself falling into darkness. The shelves had lifted. The BMW slid to one side and fell a few inches into the trough. Alex felt the metalwork collapsing all around him. The back window exploded and glass showered around his head, dust and diesel fumes punching into his nose and eyes**

Jack wanted nothing more than to run out of that room, watch tv and forget about this but she didn't. That wouldn't be fair, Alex had gone through all of this himself and she was too afraid to just hear it? What was the point in worrying about the boy when she was too weak to hear what he was going through and comfort him?

 **There was hardly any daylight now, but looking out of the back he could see the huge steel head of the piston that would push what was left of the car through the exit hole on the other side.**

 **The engine tone of the Lefort Shear changed as it prepared for the final act. The metal wings shuddered. In a few seconds' time, the two of them would meet, crumpling the BMW like a paper bag.**

"Did you have to go into so much detail, Alex?" Sabina questioned. Alex shrugged "Sorry, I didn't realise my thoughts were being recorded, next time I'll censor them." He replied sarcastically. Sabina huffed "You know what I mean!"

 **Alex pulled with all his strength and was astonished when his leg came free. It took him perhaps a second-one precious second-to figure out what had happened. When the car had fallen into the trough, it had landed on its side. The roof had buckled again… enough to free him.**

 _The luck of the devil,_ Mrs Jones chuckled.

 **His hand scrabbled for the door-but of course that was useless. The doors were too bent. They would never open. The back window! With the glass gone, he could crawl through the frame, but only if he moved fast…**

 **The wings began to move. The BMW screamed as two walls of solid steel relentlessly crushed it. Glass shattered. One of the wheel axles snapped with the sound of a thunderbolt.**

"Hurry, Alex!" Miss Bedfordshire gasped. Alex looked at them all, _did they even realise that they were talking to a book?_

 **The darkness closed in. Alex grabbed hold of what was left of the back seat. Ahead of him he could see a single triangle of light, shrinking faster and faster. With all of his strength, he surged forward, finding some sort of purchase on the gear column. He could feel the weight of the two walls pressing down on him. Behind him the car was no longer a car, but the fist of some hideous monster snatching at the insect he had become.**

Aiden and Candi sniggered, couldn't have put it better themselves. Though secretly Candi was horrified and really hoped Alex didn't get too hurt.

 **His shoulders passed through the triangle, out into the light. But his legs were still inside. If his foot snagged on something he would be squeezed into two pieces. Alex yelled out loud and jerked his knee forward. His leg came clear, then his feet,**

"YES!"

 **but at the last moment his shoe caught on the closing triangle**

"NO!"

 **and disappeared back into the car. Alex imagined he heard the sound of the leather being squashed but that was impossible. Clinging to the black, oily surface of the observation platform at the back of the crusher, he dragged himself clear and managed to stand up.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

 **He found himself face to face with a man so fat that he could barely fit into the small cabin of the crusher. The man's stomach as pressed against the glass, his shoulders squeezed into the corners.**

"Yeah, we get it, he's fat." Aiden rolled his eyes.

 **A cigarette dangled on his lower lip as his mouth fell open and his eyes stared. In front of him was a boy in the rags of what had once been a school uniform. A whole sleeve had been torn off and his arm, streaked with blood and oil, hung limply by his side.**

Snake, the unit medic, grimaced. That didn't sound good. AND Alex was in a filthy, bacteria filled junk yard. He really hoped Cub had got that checked.

 **By the time the operator had taken all this in, come to his senses and turned the machine off, Alex had gone.**

 **He clambered down the side of the crusher, landing on the one foot that still had a shoe. He was aware now of the pieces of jagged metal lying everywhere. If he wasn't careful, he would cut the other foot open.**

The more squeamish in the room gagged a bit.

 **His bicycle was where he had left it, leaning against the wall, and gingerly, half-hopping, he made for it. Behind him he heard the cabin of the crusher open and a man's voice call out, raising the alarm.**

"Does it ever end?" Fox exclaimed.

 **At the same time, a second man ran forward, stopping between Alex and his bike. It was the driver, the man he had seen at the funeral. His face, twisted into a hostile frown, was curiously ugly; greasy hair, watery eyes, pale, lifeless skin.**

" **What do you think…!" he began. His hand slid into his jacket. Alex remembered the gun and instantly, without even thinking, swung into action.**

 **He had started learning karate when he was six years old. One afternoon, with no explanation, Ian Rider had taken him to a local club for his first lesson and he had been going there, once a week, ever since.**

 _And know I know why,_ Alex thought spitefully. He wondered for the first time if the whole 'his uncle training him' thing had been another lie from MI6. Had Ian just wanted Alex to be safe? Alex suddenly became confused.

 **Over the years he had passed through the various** _ **Kyu**_ **-student-grades. But it was only the year before that he had become a first grade** _ **Dan**_ **, a black belt. When he had arrived at Brookland School, his looks and accent had quickly brought him to the attention of the school bullies; three hulking sixteen-year-olds. They had cornered him once behind the bikes shed. The encounter had lasted less than a minute, and after it one of the bullies had left Brookland and the other two had never troubled anyone again.**

Three sixteen year olds bullying a smaller child? The teachers had had no idea. Aiden had and had begrudgingly accepted that he couldn't hurt Alex physically or he faced a certain death. But that still left mentally, something that was so very fun to do. It was amazing to see the stoic Alex Rider crumbling without Aiden having to lay a single finger on him.

 **Now Alex brought up one leg, twisted his body round and lashed out. The back kick-** _ **Ushiro-geri-**_ **is said to be the most lethal in karate.**

 _Impressive,_ Sabina whistled staring admiringly at Alex.

 **His foot powered into the man's abdomen with such force that he didn't even have time to cry out. His eyes bulged and his mouth half-opened in surprise. Then, with his hand still half way into his jacket, he crumbled to the ground.**

Everyone in the room had to admit that Alex was pretty skilled at fighting for a 14 year old.

 **Alex jumped over him, snatched up his bike and swung himself onto it. In the distance, a third man was running towards him. He heard the single word "Stop!" called out. Then there was a crack and a bullet whipped past.**

The civilians in the room yelped. Even K unit looked shaken. Why the hell was someone shooting at a teenager? This wasn't America so Alex's breaking and entering wasn't an excuse.

 **Alex gripped the handlebars and pedalled as hard as he could. The bike shot forward, over the rubble and out through the gates. He took one look over his shoulder. Nobody had followed him.**

 **With one shoe and one shoe off, his clothes in rags and his body streaked with blood and oil, Alex knew he must look a strange sight. But then he thought back to his last seconds inside the crusher and sighed with relief. He could have been looking a lot worse.**

"Mr Bray closed the book and set it down in relief. "Mrs Jones I think that's enough for today." Fox reasoned. Everyone agreed. Mrs Jones flicked a switch on the paradox box (Smithers had instructed her to do so every time they left or entered the room) then opened the doors. A laugh made Alex look up "Alex," Jack smiled in a very creepy way "Why haven't I heard of this before?" Alex laughed nervously and legged it out the door closely followed by an angry looking Jack. "Good luck mate!" Tom shouted after them.

 **A/N: Soooooo, third chapters finished! What did you think? Thank you to absolutely EVERYONE who reviewed, they really put a smile on my face and just completely made my day! If you have any specific reactions you want to see more of then say so in the reviews and I will try my best to include them! I tried to include more Brookland students and teachers' reactions in this chapter like I was asked to, did I do a good job? Yes? No? I dunno.**


	4. Chapter 4

**MY LIFE IN NINE BOOKS**

 **PART ONE: STORMBREAKER**

CHAPTER 4

 _ **PLEASE READ**_

 **A/N: Omg I am SO SORRY about the wait! School started and I've had no time amongst homework, my dad using the computer (which is all the time) and picking up my sister. I have every intention to finish this story slowly but surely. Thank you for waiting and for all you wonderful people who have commented, followed or favourited this story I can't express how much it means to me! Thanks to you all this is officially my most popular fanfiction. Please bear with me for this, I've got Stormbreaker out form the library so I have to return it soon and won't be able to take it out for a while after that but fear not! I will finish this! But if I stop for a while that's why.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned Alex Rider there would be yaoi. Yaoi at the SAS, yaoi at Brooklands, yaoi at Scorpia. That didn't happen so I obviously don't own it.**

 **Enjoy :3…**

 **The bank rang the following day.**

" **This is John Crawley. Do you remember me? Personnel Manager at the Royal and General. We were wondering if you could come in."**

" **Come in?" Alex was half-dressed, already late for school.**

" **This afternoon. We found some papers of your uncle's. We need to talk to you… about your own position."**

 **Was there something faintly threatening in the man's voice?**

Alex sneered at the thought of the man. He was just as bad as Mr Blunt and Mrs Jones except there was something more annoying about him. Mrs Jones cared about Alex deep down and Mr Blunt was completely dethatched from emotion, Alex couldn't really figure out Crawley,, he was the personification of that nagging at the back of your head when you forget something.

" **What time this afternoon?" Alex asked.**

" **Could you manage half-past four? We're on Liverpool Street. We can send a cab-"**

" **I'll be there," Alex said.**

The worst mistake Alex had ever made, Alex, Jack, Mrs Jones, Tom and Sabina had all thought it. Though, Sabina thought, if Alex wasn't a spy they would never have met. Was that really worth destroying Alex's life? Well they didn't have a choice about it anyway, it had already happened.

" **And I'll take the tube."**

 **He hung up.**

" **Who was that?" Jack called out from the kitchen. She was cooking breakfast for the two of them, although how long she could remain with Alex was a growing worry.**

 **Her waged hadn't been paid. She had only her own money to buy food and pay for the running of the house. Worse still, her visa was about to expire. Soon she wouldn't even be allowed to stay in the country**

Being reminded once again of how much Alex wanted her with him, Jack blushed guiltily. How would he react if he found out that she had wanted to move back to America? Well she wasn't leaving any time soon, Alex was hurt and vulnerable, he needed Jack and she wasn't leaving his side

" **That was the bank." Alex came into the room, wearing his spare uniform. He hadn't told her what had happened in the breaker's yard. He hadn't even told her about the empty office. Jack had enough on her mind.**

Jack frowned at Alex who pretended he didn't notice. He was just a kid! He couldn't keep this all to himself She sighed, he had though. The only reason she knew now was because the book had told her.

" **I'm going there this afternoon," he said.**

" **Do you want me to come?"**

"Yes!" Jack hissed, receiving weird looks from the others in the room.

" **No. I'll be fine."**

"Go anyway!" Jack shouted to her past self. "Jack," Alex looked up at Jack, startled "You're shouting at a book." Jack shut up but sat with a scowl. It upset Alex slightly seeing how Jack blamed herself about this too, it wasn't her fault.

 **He came out of Liverpool Street tube station just after four-fifteen that afternoon, still wearing his uniform: dark blue jacket, grey trousers, stripped tie.**

Tom shivered, that school uniform gave him the creeps. Hell, everything about school gave him the creeps.

 **He found the bank easily enough. The Royal and General occupied a tall, antique-looking building with the Union Jack fluttering from a pole about fifteen floors up.**

Alex stiffened slightly, realising Jack would hear about that little experience too.

 **There was a brass name-plate next to the main door and a security camera swivelling slowly over the pavement.**

"Stalkers." Tom quipped. The teachers glared at him "Tom, it's a bank, they need security!" Mr Bray reasoned.

 **Alex stopped in front of it. For a moment he wondered if he was making a mistake going in.**

 _Yes_ _ **!**_ Alex tensed, wanting to be able to go back in time.

 **If the bank had been responsible in some way for Ian Rider's death, maybe they had asked him here to arrange his own.**

 _By default,_ Alex thought darkly.

 **No. The bank wouldn't kill him. He didn't even have an account there.**

A slight chuckle filled the room "Yeah, cus that's how it works, mate." Tom smiled at his best friend.

 **He went in.**

Alex face palmed.

 **In an office on the seventh floor, the image on the security monitor flickered and changed as Street Camera #1 smoothly cut across to Reception Cameras #2 and #3 and Alex passed from the brightness outside to the cool shadows of the interior.**

 **A man sitting behind a desk reached out and pressed a button and the camera zoomed in until Alex's face filled the screen.**

Slightly OTT, Mr Bray thought, but that was just sensible security.

" **So he came," the chairman of the bank muttered.**

"Oooo," Sabine wriggled her shoulders "Very James Bond." Alex kicked her from under the table, smiling.

" **That's the boy?" The speaker was a middle aged woman. She had a strange, potato-shaped head and her black hair looked as if it had been cut using a pair of blunt scissors and an upturned bowl.**

Mrs Jones looked slightly affronted. Alex batted his eyes innocently at her.

 **Her eyes were almost black too. She was dressed in a severe grey suit and she was sucking a peppermint. "Are you sure about this, Alan?" she asked.**

 **Alan Blunt nodded. "Oh yes, quite sure. You know what to do?"**

 **This last question was addressed to his driver who was standing uncomfortably, slightly hunched over. His face was a chalky white. He had been like that ever since he had tried to stop Alex I the breaker's yard.**

Alex looked slightly smug, maybe the man shouldn't have attacked him then.

" **Yes, sir," he said.**

" **Then do it," Blunt said. His eyes never left the screen.**

Alex noticed Tom from across the table wiggling his eyebrows at Alex. "Oooo it's like a lemon party except with a minor in the mix." Alex face palmed very glad that the adults in the room had no idea what that meant and Candi and Aiden had too much of a social life to know that internet… _thing,_ Alex didn't even want to think about it.

 **In Reception, Alex had asked for John Crawley and was sitting on a leather sofa, vaguely wondering why so few people were going in or out.**

Emotion flicked across his Bunt's face at the single imperfection. The place had been designed to fool passers-by not an extraordinary teenager like Alex. Mr Blunt had wanted to get agents to walk in every so often but Mrs Jones had called him a paranoid lunatic.

 **The reception area was wide and airy, with a brown marble floor, three elevators to one side and, above the desk, a row of clocks showing the time in every major world city.**

Mr Bray was almost crying with joy at the concept, he had always wanted some like that. They were educational and helped you feel closer to other countries. Aiden snorted "Some people would be pretty offended if their city wasn't on there."

 **But it could have been the entrance to anywhere. A hospital. A concert hall. Even a cruise liner. The place had no identity of its own.**

Alex's eyes flicked to Mr Blunt to see if he seemed offended but Alex could have sworn he saw a glimmer of pride in the man's eyes.

 **One of the lifts pinged open and Crawley appeared in his usual suit, but with a different tie. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Alex," he said. "Have you come straight from school?"**

 **Alex stood up but said nothing, allowing his school uniform to answer the man's question.**

"Mr attitude much." Tom grinned. Alex rolled his eyes, he had just taken an immediate disliking to the man and his superiors.

" **Let's go up to my office," Crawley said. He gestured. "We'll take the lift."**

 **Alex didn't notice the fourth camera inside the lift, but then it was concealed on the other side of the one-way mirror that covered the back wall. Nor did he see the thermal intensifier next to the camera.**

Most people in the room looked a bit confused. Mr Bray had to admit that was a little eccentric even for a bank.

 **But this second machine both looked at him and through him**

Tom's eyes widened "Lovely." They were all thinking it.

 **as he stood there, turning him into a pulsating mass of different colours, none of which translated into the cold steel of a hidden gun or knife.**

The more the chapter continued the more confused and suspicious they became. Why would a bank be scanning a fourteen year old boy for deadly weapons? What the hell was going on?

 **In less than the time it took Alex to blink, the machine had passed its information down to a computer which had instantly evaluated it and then sent its own signal back to the circuits that controlled the elevator.** _ **It's okay. He's unarmed. Continue to the fifteenth floor.**_

Briefly Alex wondered what would have happened if he _had_ been carrying some sort of weapon coincidentally, a knife to cut apples or something. Would he have been attacked and contained? Would he have been heard out? Would they have not used him because he was a risk?

" **Here we are!" Crawley smiled and ushered Alex out into a long corridor with an uncarpeted, wooden floor**

Tom made a gagging noise "Don't you hate those floors? Like, they belong in old mansions that were too cheap to afford carpet. I think floors like that should be carpeted or tiles or that weird thing hospital floors are made of." Everyone looked incredulously at him. "No? Just me?"

 **and modern lighting. A series of door was punctuated by framed paintings, brightly coloured abstracts. "My office is just along here." Crawley pointed the way.**

 **They had passed three doors when Alex stopped. Each door had a name plate and this one he recognized-1504: Ian Rider. What letters on black plastic.**

 **Crawley nodded sadly. "Yes. This was where your uncle worked. He'll be much missed."**

Alex didn't know exactly why but he just wanted to punch that man in the face. Maybe it was because it was partially his fault Ian was dead, maybe it was because he used such common, meaningless words or maybe because he had not really cared much, just because his institution had lost a valuable employee.

" **Can I go inside?" Alex asked.**

 **Crawley seemed surprised. "Why would you want to do that?"**

Was he really so emotionally… _MI6_ that he didn't understand? Or was that already part of the act to lure Alex in and he was happy Alex starting to fall for it?

" **I'd be interested to see where he worked."**

" **I'm sorry." Crawley sighed. "The door will have been locked and I don't have the key. Another time perhaps." He gestured again. He used his hands like a magician, as if he was about to produce a fan of cards.**

Mrs Jones smirked, Alex certainly had a keen observation and detailed descriptive skills, she couldn't have put it better herself.

" **I have the office next door. Just here."**

 **They went into 1505.**

"It must be a very large building. Was there offices all the way from 1? Did it continue any more than 1505?" Sabina asked. Alex frowned "Yeah I think it starts from 1 and continues after 1505, how much I don't know but I assume that's near the end." Alex would ask Mr Blunt or Mrs Jones but he doubted they would answer.

 **It was a large, square room with three windows looking out over the station. There was a flutter of red and blue outside and Alex remembered the flag he had seen.**

"What's your obsession with that flag, druggie?" Aiden called. Alex rolled his eyes, they would see soon enough then maybe they will finally shut up. Frankly Alex was surprised Aiden had enough brains to actually notice the significance of the flag, it was probably a coincidence though.

 **Inside there was a desk and chair, a couple of sofas, in the corner a fridge, on the wall a couple of prints. A boring executive office. Perfect for a boring executive.**

"Alex." Mr Bray chided. _He would think the same if he saw Crawley,_ Alex scowled.

" **Please, Alex. Sit down," Crawley said. He went over to the fridge. "Can I get you a drink?"**

" **Do you have Coke?"**

"See he is a druggie." Aiden smirked smugly. Tom glared at him "He means as in Cola you idiot." Everyone sniggered a bit, including Candi who shut up quickly after a sharp glare from her boyfriend. "I mean as in he is used to asking for it." Aiden muttered, covering up. _Yeah right,_ Alex thought.

" **Yes." Crawley opened a can and filled a glass, then handed it to Alex. "Ice?"**

" **No thanks." Alex took a sip. It wasn't Coke. It wasn't even Pepsi. He recognized the over-sweet, slightly cloying taste of supermarket cola and wished he'd asked for water.**

Most people in the room related. Mr Blunt looked surprised, what was the difference? Cola was cola, was it not? "I know what you mean, I hate those." Fox agreed. "Yeah," Snake chipped in "If it wasn't bad enough, back in Uni Eagle was obsessed with the stuff. Eagle on sugar is enough to put anyone off. The floor was always sticky with it too." Eagle looked affronted. This information surprised Alex slightly, the men had known each other since university? No wonder they seemed so close. They must have joined the army at the same time and continued to become a unit.

" **So what do you want to talk to me about?"**

" **Your uncle's will—"**

 **The telephone rang and with another hand sign, this one for "excuse me", Crawley answered it. He spoke for a few moments then hung up again. "I'm very sorry, Alex. I have to go back down to Reception. Do you mind?"**

Alex snarled, looking back he could now see how much of this had been scripted. How had he fallen for it? Seeing his uncle's office, a phone call-distraction, time alone just when he had wanted to explore, everything had been extremely convenient hadn't it.

" **Go ahead." Alex settled himself on the sofa.**

" **I'll be about five minutes." With a final nod of apology, Crawley left.**

" **Alex waited a few seconds. Then he poured the cola into a potted plant and stood up.**

There were a few snorted laughs, yeah bargain juice was gross.

 **He went over to the door and back into the corridor. At the far end, a woman carrying a pile of papers appeared then disappeared through a door. There was no sign of Crawley. Quickly, Alex moved back to the door of 1504 and tried the handle. But Crawley had been telling the truth. It was locked.**

 _Poor Alex,_ Miss Bedfordshire thought, _He seemed to have really wanted to look in there. But what could he do?_

 **Alex went back into Crawley's office. He would have given anything to spend a few minutes alone in Ian Rider's office.**

Everyone looked a little sad and pitying.

 **Somebody thought the dead man's work was important enough to keep hidden from him. They had broken into his house and cleaned out everything they'd found in the office there. Perhaps the next-door room might tell him why.**

Everyone looked thoughtful, they hadn't thought of that. What _was_ it that Ian Rider was hiding?

 **What exactly had Ian Rider been involved in? And was it the reason why he had been killed?**

 _The gang, ennit?_ Aiden thought. Why anyone would join such a thing he didn't know. Though he had to admit that he was slightly jealous that Alex was involved in something so badass. No, it was stupid and for losers, he assured himself.

 **The flag fluttered again and, seeing it, Alex went over to the window. The pole jutted out of the building exactly halfway between rooms 1504 and 1505. If he could somehow reach it, he should be able to jump on to the ledge that ran along the side of the building outside room 1504.**

Everyone blanched "WHAT!?" They stared in horror at Alex, surely he hadn't don't that or he wouldn't be sitting there in front of them. Though if he had fallen and been saved by something on the way down it may explain his absence from school, the teachers thought. The Pleasures, Jack and Candi looked at Alex, their faces ridden with horror and fear. Tom was slightly in awe but still terribly afraid for his best mate, he knew Alex did this type of thing but reading about it was another matter. K Unit looked impressed though they very clearly thought Alex was insane.

 **Of course, he was fifteen floors up. If he jumped and missed there would be about seventy metres to fall. It was a stupid idea. It wasn't even worth thinking about.**

Jack breathed a sigh of relief "Good, see I knew you were a smart boy." However a heavy feeling in her stomach and her knowledge of Alex told her this wasn't over.

 **Alex opened the window and climbed out.**

 _Wait, what?_ A lot of people looked at Alex like he was insane. Jack looked like she was about to faint, she decided to sit stiffly in her chair and grip the frame until this was over. Tom laughed with a slight sadistic, resigned twinge "Yup, that's Alex." Candi stared in terrified admiration at Alex, waiting to hear what happened next. Aiden noticed, frowning "Are you fuckin' mental, druggie? Are you bipolar or something? You just said it wasn't worth thinking about!"

 **It was better not to think about it at all. He would just do it.**

Fox snorted, Alex was always finding the loopholes. You had to admire Alex's dark English humour.

 **After all, if this had been the ground floor, or a climbing-frame in the school yard, it would have been child's play. It was only the sheer brick wall stretching down to the pavement, the cars and buses moving like toys so far below and the blast of the wind against his face that made it terrifying.**

"Oh yeah, just that. Not anything to worry about." Tom smiled shakily.

 **Don't think about it. Do it.**

 _Self-advice that's basically become my motto,_ Alex thought.

 **Alex lowered himself on to the ledge outside Crawley's office. His hands were behind him, clutching the window-sill. He took a deep breath. And jumped.**

Everybody cringed, waiting to hear Alex's horrible, tragic death despite knowing very well Alex lived. He could very well have been badly hurt though, they had all seen his scars.

 **A camera located in an office across the road caught Alex as he launched himself into space.**

Alex cringed, it must have been like when you're watching a movie and you pause it and all the actors are pulling stupid faces. Jumping out a window, facing death he probably wouldn't have looked any better.

 **Two floors above, Alan Blunt was still sitting in front of the screen. He chuckled. It was a humourless sound. "I told you," he said. "The boy's extraordinary."**

He still agreed, as did the others.

" **The boy's quite mad," the woman retorted.**

Also true.

" **Well, maybe that's what we need."**

It was certainly what they had needed, Mr Blunt mused, someone who would think of the most amazing and insane ideas as a first thought and who would go through with it and emerge victorious.

" **You're just going to sit here and watch him kill himself?"**

" **I'm going to sit here and hope he survives."**

Alex twitched, _Nice to know you care._ It was odd and insulting that his own life was put so lightly. Some of the people in the room with a darker sense of humour snorted at the man's words while the rest looked shocked. Mrs Jones rolled her eyes, _See what I have to live with?_

 **Alex had miscalculated the jump.**

"WHAT?!" Jack jumped up in distress despite being one of the people who knew that Alex had survived the day unharmed very well. But how? He had miss calculated the fucking jump!

 **He missed the flagpole by a centimetre and would have plunged down to the pavement if his hands hadn't caught hold of the Union Jack itself.**

There was a collective sigh of relief. It suddenly occurred to Alex that the flag could have ripped any second. He paled slightly, this is why he hadn't thought about it.

 **He was hanging now with his feet in mid-air. Slowly, with huge effort, he pulled himself up, his fingers hooking into the material. Somehow he managed to climb back up on to the pole.**

Tom smirked, looking at Alex who chucked a coaster at him. Sabina smirked also catching on.

 **He still didn't look down. He just hoped that no passer-by would look up.**

 **It was easier after that. He squatted on the pole,**

More laughter from the teens.

 **then threw himself across the ledge outside Ian Rider's office. He had to be careful. Too far to the left and he would crash into the side of the building, but too far the other way and he would fall. In fact he landed perfectly,**

"What else would you expect from Alex Rider?" Tom commented causing Alex to blush. "…He's had lots of practice with the pole." Tom added, ducking and yelping when Alex chucked his entire school bag at him.

 **grabbing hold of the ledge with both hands and then pulling himself up until he was level with the window. It was only then that he wondered if the window would be locked.**

Everyone blanched, they hadn't thought about that either. Like with every book you read they were carried away with the point of view of the character, seeing the world in their perspective.

 **If so, he'd just have to go back.**

 **It wasn't. Alex slid the window open and hoisted himself into the second office, which was in many ways a carbon copy of the first. It had the same furniture, the same carpet, even a similar print on the wall.**

A bit disappointing when you jumped out a window to get there.

 **He went over to the desk and sat down. The first thing he was a photograph of himself, taken the summer before on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, where he had gone diving. There was a second picture tucked into the corner of the frame. Alex aged five or six years. He was surprised by the photographs. He had never thought of Ian as a sentimental man.**

"Oh, Alex, Ian loved you very much, you have to know that!" Jack said, hugging him. "I don't know what I know and don't anymore." Alex muttered but felt warm and happy anyway.

 **Alex glanced at his watch. About three minutes had passed since Crawley had left the office, and he had said he would be back in five. If he was going to find anything here, he had to find it quickly. He pulled open a drawer of the desk. It contained five or six files. Alex took them and opened them.**

Mr Bray looked uncomfortable, this was the second time so far that Alex had gone somewhere he wasn't meant to and he was pretty sure that Alex wasn't allowed to see whatever was in those files. No wonder he got in trouble with the law.

 **He saw at once that they had nothing to do with banking.**

"What?" The room realised that they had been saying that a lot lately.

 **The first was marked: NERVE POISONS-NEW METHODS OF CONCEALMENT AND DISSEMINATION.**

 _What the hell?_ This was definitely not a bank.

 **Alex put it aside and looked at the second. ASSASSINATIONS-FOUR CASE STUDIES.**

More cases like Alex's uncle? People who had gotten on the wrong side of these people or knew too much? Most people in the room, the idea planted by Aiden's insults, had decided that this was some sort of Mafia gang or something, pretty big to have afforded such a big cover. Alex really shouldn't be getting involved in this, whatever 'this' was.

 **Growing ever more puzzled, he quickly flicked through the rest of the files, which covered counter-terrorism, the movement of uranium across Europe and interrogation techniques. The last file was simply labelled: STORMBREAKER.**

Suddenly a word they all recognised. "Weren't they those computer things we were supposed to get?" Aiden commented. "Yeah they were, what happened to those?" Mr Donovan wondered. _Well they would all see soon enough,_ Alex thought grimly.

 **Alex was about to read it when the door suddenly opened and two men walked in. One of them was Crawley. The other was the driver from the breaker's yard.**

"Ooooo busted!" Tom snickered.

 **Alex knew there was no point trying to explain what he was doing. He was sitting behind the desk with the Stormbreaker file open in his hands. But at the same time he realized that the two men weren't surprised to see him there. From the way they had come into the room, they had expected to find him.**

The first moment Alex realised that everything he did had been planned and watched carefully.

" **This isn't a bank," Alex said. "Who are you? Was my uncle working for you? Did you kill him?"**

" **So many questions," Crawley muttered. "But I'm afraid we're not authorized to give you the answers."**

They all shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, what was going to happen? All they knew was Alex was in some deep shit.

 **The other man lifted his hands and Alex saw he was holding a gun. He stood up behind the desk, holding the file as if to protect himself. "No—" he began.**

"Because the bullet will stop, apologise and go get a pint if you ask it to." Tom commented dryly.

 **The man fired. There was no explosion. The gun spat at Alex and he felt something slam into his heart. His hand opened and the file tumbled to the ground. Then his legs buckled, the room twisted and he fell back into nothing.**

The room was left in silence.

 **A/N: And done! How was it? Please comment with your opinions or just general comments. Follow if you want to hear more and favourite if you like it. Thank you soooo much for everyone who has, you guys are AMAZING! I love you all. Byesies!**


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